The Slatest

The Midterms Are in 13 Days, So of Course Trump Is Picking a Fight With His Own Party

The president simply cannot help himself.

Photo illustration by Slate. Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images.

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With T-minus 13 days until the midterms, polls suggest Republicans are headed for a wipeout. So what is Donald Trump—a self-proclaimed “frickin’ genius” —up to? Escalating a fight with his own party over his support for Russia and its leader, Vladimir Putin. Beyond the life-or-death stakes for Ukrainians, the spat has forced many Republican officials to spend precious time criticizing the administration instead of Democrats. But the bigger story is that Trump’s long-standing affinity for Russia may finally be coming back to bite him in a meaningful way.

Back up: Last time you wrote about this, Trump was buying Russian diesel and criticizing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky .…